In the Midst of This Danger
by Geekerific-1017
Summary: In the midst of this danger will love bloom? Shawn and Carlton witness a murder and are now being targeted. Shassie meaning Shawn/Lassie if that's not your glass of pineapple juice then I strongly suggest you no clicky here. Warning: a little cliche.
1. Chapter 1

'Sup homies? How goes life? Seriously, I want to know. I'm all ears.  
Anyway, this here is my new WIP. My first ever multi-chap fic!!!  
*does happy dance* Dance with me peoples! Don't be lookin' at me like that now, I see ya! (Twenty chocolate chunkie***** pineapple shaped cookies to those who know where that came from!)  
Hopefully it's a step up from _'Bonfire'_ and my Shassie shorts.  
As with all my other stuff, this is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my oopsie.

***Yes, I know that chunkie is spelled with a 'y' but I like spelling it with an 'ie'. So I shall stick my tongue out childishly to those who frown upon it.**

**QUICK AN: **I'd like to dedicate this chapter to **SpookyClaire** because without her encouragement and super awesomeness this story would most likely still be collecting dust in my notebook with all the other plot bunnies. So thanks Claire!! Hopefully this makes up for me not responding to your last message before you left.  
-_Squeedle_

**DISCLAIMER****:** I do not own Psych or any of its awesomeness. The characters are just too fun to leave alone. No copyright infringement is intended so please do not sue me for I _still_ do not have a job yet.

* * *

_July 4__th__, 2009 Present_

Shawn slowly opened the door to the cabin expecting…well, he wasn't quite sure _what_ he was expecting really. Was he expecting to find Carlton sitting on the couch with a scotch in his hand staring into the empty fireplace as he has for the past month? Was he expecting Carlton to greet him with a fist to the jaw? After what happened last night and the way Carlton acted this morning Shawn thought he had the latter coming to him. Walking into the cabin a part of him even expected to find the place completely empty but out of all the things that Shawn was expecting to find, a bound and gagged Carlton Lassiter strapped to dozens of large fireworks and explosives certainly wasn't one of them.

"Carlton!"

~*~

_June 1st, 2009 One month and three days ago_

Carlton sat in the far left corner of Tom Blair's hugging his sixth beer and thinking about how his day went from fairly good to bad to crash landing into completely hellish. It was all Spencer's fault of course. The guy just didn't know when to lay off. He just _had_ to invade everything in Carlton's life; his work, his personal affairs, his _dreams._ So yes, it was all Spencer's fault. Sure, every day let downs were the spark that ignited the flames but Spencer was the oxygen that fanned the blaze until it was an all out inferno.

The day started off okay. His coffee pot was finally cooperating with him, the local listings showed that there would be a Cops marathon waiting for him when he got home, and Mr. Johnson, the old geezer that had been accusing Carlton of stealing his mail for the past five months, left for his new condo in Florida yesterday. Screw cloud nine, Carlton was riding cloud nineteen.

Seeing as good things never lasted for him, everything pretty much took a nosedive to cloud six by midday.

Rather than dwelling on the subject any longer though Carlton downed the rest of his beer and asked for another. He groaned when the bartender produced a bowl rather than a beer.

The bartender chuckled.

"How long have you been coming here? You know the drill Carl, anything over six drinks then I gotta confiscate your keys."

Carlton winced as he took his keys from his pocket. Even though he'd gotten used to it, he couldn't stand when Frank called him Carl. Was the other syllable really that hard for the guy?

Just as he was about to drop his keys into the bowl though a tanned hand shot out and grabbed them.

"It's cool Frank, I'll drive him home. Hey Lassie." Shawn said as he sat down.

Carlton growled. Apparently the universe thought it would be amusing to punish him in the form of Shawn Spencer. He hated dealing with Spencer outside of work. Hell, he hated dealing with Spencer _in_side of work. He couldn't stand the way the overgrown twelve year old was always so right. And the way he always flailed around and somehow managed to grope him during his 'visions'? Carlton worked damn hard his entire life to get to where he was today – head detective not the bar – and then in walks Shawn Spencer solving every case that has come his way with little to no effort. It was down right unfair.

Carlton glared at his beer that he had yet to open and stood up to leave. He didn't really want to go home but if home was the one place he could go that Shawn couldn't then damn it that's where he needed to be.

Walking through the parking lot Carlton felt some of the tension roll off his shoulders. The scenery may not have been all that great but the quiet was welcomed with open arms. Given the fact that it was a little after three on a Monday morning, the parking lot was relatively empty aside from the occasional drunk and the weirdo waiting at the bus stop for the bus that wouldn't arrive for another three and a half hours.

"Okay, give me my keys Spencer." He turned to Shawn knowing he'd followed him and held his hand out, waiting.

"Nope, not even if you said 'please oh guru of awesome psychical wisdom'. I can't let you drive home Lassie-face."

Carlton could've sworn he'd seen amusement flash in those bright hazel eyes.

"One, I don't trust you driving my car. Two, I'm not going to drive home I'm going to call a cab. Now hand over my keys Spencer or I'll-"

He would've continued had Shawn not wandered away towards the alley next to the bar. Curiosity got the better of him so he followed Shawn who had crouched low behind some crates. Carlton opened his mouth to verbalize his confusion but before he could say anything Shawn shushed him and with an indignant look Carlton closed his mouth and cast his gaze to what had the psychic so focused.

A few yards into the alley stood two men, one tall with a crew cut the other short with tattoos all over his arms, who looked to be arguing. The normal guy in Carlton told him to leave it be but the detective in him noticed the gun shining in the tall guy's hand and with a quick glance to Shawn he knew that he'd noticed it as well.

"We talked about this Benny, either you're in or you're out." The tall one said with a light, almost nonexistent New York accent.

The tall guy gave off a sort of businessman like air. Under the light that was on above the back door to Tom Blair's Carlton could see he had on a crisp tan suit, most likely Armani, and a pair of black dress shoes. The most distinctive thing about the guy was the jagged scar that ran diagonally from his right temple to his jaw. The way he gripped the Beretta told Carlton that this guy wasn't playing any games and he silently cursed himself when he remembered that he'd left his own gun at home for the night.

"Look Tony, I know I said I was down for this shit but murder ain't my thing alright?" The short one, Benny, spoke with a hesitant tone. Who wouldn't in his position? Still, it seemed to Carlton that this Benny guy was determined not to cower in Tony's presence.

Unlike Tony, Benny had an accent that was practically made for New York. He probably grew up in Brooklyn or the Bronx and recently moved to the Santa Barbara area.

"'Specially not if it's cop. You know damn well what they do to cop killers Tony."

At the mention of killing a cop both Carlton and Shawn shuddered. They've seen the aftermath of cop killings before and it was never pretty. Whenever a cop was killed the rest of the station developed a taste for blood and wouldn't rest until the killer was dead. Not found, dead. It always ended in an epic blood fest and was never any good for either side.

Carlton reached into his jacket pocket to grab his phone but found it wasn't there. As he turned to tell Shawn to call the station Tony began to talk again.

"Yeah, I know what they do to cop killers. I also know what we do to a guy who dips out before a hit." Tony said as he aimed his Beretta at Benny's head. Benny backed into the wall, trying to reason with Tony.

"Come on man, we can work this thing out. Make a compromise, ya know? Don't shoot me Tony!"

Carlton tugged on Shawn's arm as he whispered vehemently "Spencer, we have to get the hell out of here!" But the psychic stayed put watching the scene unfold.

Tony kept the gun aimed at Benny for a few agonizing moments then brought it back down

"I'm not gonna shoot you Benny." He chuckled as he tucked the gun into pants and Benny let out a sigh of relief.

Tony smirked.

"That doesn't mean I'm not gonna kill you."

In an instant, Tony pulled out a switchblade and with one swift move he jammed it through Benny's throat. Both Carlton and Shawn gasped loudly and jumped up knocking the crates over in the process. Not a very smart idea on their part because had they stayed down Tony never would have spotted them.

"Hey!"

* * *

_Anyway, so how was my first chapter? I figure if I get at least three good reviews from people other than **SpookyClaire** and **Mahala A.C** (no offense you guys because you're awesome and everything but you're normal reviewers) I'll keep it going. If not *sad sigh* then I'll just stick to oneshots and shorts. So please review because I'd really like to see this through to the end.  
_**LOOKING FOR TITLE SUGGESTIONS!!!!!  
So far what I have are:  
1) In Danger's Wake  
2) Unprotective Custody  
3) Well, At Least One Good Thing Came From Being Almost Killed **(creative huh?)  
**4) Worst Way to Hook Up in History  
or the current title. If you guys have some better suggestions please feel free to send them in.**

**_-Squeedle_**


	2. Chapter 2

A Couple Quick ANs:  
1) Just want to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter and thank everyone who put this story on their Story Alert lists. I really didn't think that first chapter would get all that. So thanks a bunch you guys!!!!!  
2) Just wanted to let you guys know that the wait for the chapters after this one might be a little longer. I've got a shit load of school work to do but it shouldn't last for long. Hopefully you guys don't mind waiting a week or two.  
-Squeedle

PS: Still unbeta'd.

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

"_**That doesn't mean I'm not gonna kill you."**_

_**In an instant Tony pulled out a switchblade and with one swift move he jammed it through Benny's throat. Both Carlton and Shawn gasped loudly and jumped up knocking the crates over in the process. Not a very smart idea on their part because had they stayed down Tony never would have spotted them.**_

"_**Hey!"**_

~*~

_June 1st, 2009 One month and three days ago continued_

Shawn was running on autopilot as he grabbed Carlton's arm and ran toward the detective's cherished Crown Vic. He couldn't understand why he didn't seize the opportunity to leave when Carlton first said something. It was like he couldn't leave until he saw everything play out. _Must be how a moth feels when he sees one of those electric bug zapper things_ Shawn thought. They made it to the car and Shawn had just started the engine when the gunshots went off, some of the bullets shattering the rear window in the process. Shawn peeled out of the parking lot, speeding down the street like he just robbed a bank. Luckily, there were no other cars on the road.

Panting heavily, Shawn decided to break the silence.

"I can't believe you Lassiter." He said with disappointment and watched Carlton out of the corner of his eye. He looked pretty pissed if not a little confused.

"Excuse me Spencer?" Yep, definitely pissed.

Shawn paused, letting silence fill the car for a few moments and smirked before he spoke again.

"You're the Head Detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department and you didn't have enough common sense to bulletproof your windows? You should be ashamed of yourself."

*

Fourteen hours. It had been fourteen hours since the incident in the parking lot took place and they _still_ couldn't find anything on Tony. Not one single thing. It was as if the guy didn't even exist. Shawn was at a loss for once. Normally, he'd be able to think up a semi-accurate theory on the spot but try as he might he just didn't have enough to go on. Tony was a ghost. More than that, he was the shadow of a ghost and seeing as such Shawn and Carlton were now confined to the station until further notice.

"Wait so I can't go home?" Shawn asked as Chief Vick left the bunker. His voice sounded incredulous but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to be stuck in the police station for God knows how long.

"That depends Spencer, do you want to die?" Despite the smirk that graced Carlton's lips Shawn could tell that the detective was just as unhappy about it as he was and that made him feel a little better.

Just as Shawn opened his mouth to retort – he had an extremely witty comeback too – an officer whom he'd never seen before walked into the room. He stood in the doorway wringing his hands together for a few moments before he spoke.

"Um, I was told to come down here and see if you guys wanted anything."

Shawn smiled a bit. The officer seemed so shy and out of place.

"No, I think we're good. Lassie?" Shawn turned to Carlton but sighed when all the detective did was turn away.

Shawn turned back to the officer who looked as if he wanted to say something.

"I'm sensing that you have more to ask." He chuckled when the officer looked surprised.

"Well, yes. Um, Why do you guys have to stay here?"

"Oh, you know, witnessed a murder and whatnot." Shawn smiled and sat down on a cot next to Carlton. The officer looked confused.

"Well, shouldn't you be out looking for the killer?"

Shawn opened his mouth to answer but Carlton beat him to the punch.

"Shouldn't you be leaving?"

At that the officer cast his gaze to the floor which made Shawn give Carlton a disapproving look.

"I'm sorry about him. He's just cranky because he hasn't had his beauty sleep yet. What Carly-bear meant to say was that we don't have any information on the guy so we have to stay here until we do." Shawn explained.

Carlton stood up and walked over to the officer.

"No, what I meant to say was leave!" He shouted causing the poor officer to scurry out of the room.

Shawn turned to Carlton and shook his head.

"Not cool Lassie."

*

It was dark in the warehouse, the only light coming in through the windows from the street lamps outside. Inside the building stood a group of men, six in all. The boss, or what looked to be the boss, stood atop a raised platform staring down at the men. All of whom held guns of various shape and size. It would be pretty redundant to say that something shady was going down but still…something shady was going down.

The boss, a white male with a crew cut and a jagged, nasty looking scar that ran from the corner of his right eye to his jaw, spoke up.

"I want you all to look at these two men." He said as he tossed down a newspaper clipping.

"Study them. The one in the suit is Head Detective Carlton Lassiter and has accumulated over twelve years on the force. The other one, the pretty boy, is Shawn Spencer. The dude claims to be a 'psychic'. I want them found and I want them brought to me."

The boss stepped down from the platform and waited as the newspaper clipping was passed around. When it reached the last guy the boss waited a few moments before holding his hand out to retrieve the paper. He wasn't expecting the laugh that erupted from said guy though.

"Do you find something funny Forbes?" The guy, Forbes, sobered up real quick and shook his head.

"No Tony it's just, I know where these two are. They're staying at the police station."

*

Shawn looked over to see Carlton sleeping soundly on one of the cots and he let a small smile form on his lips. The detective had a blanket tossed haphazardly around his torso and he had his arms wrapped tightly around the extra pillow he'd snatched from another cot. _Aw,_ Shawn thought. _Lassie's a cuddler._ And with that thought in mind, Shawn fell asleep with a smile glued to his face. Never once thinking about what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

_**Okay, so there's the second chappy. Honestly, I'm not sure if you guys are going to enjoy it as much as the first. You know how you read and reread your writing so much that you finally just can't stand what you've written down? Eh, I guess it comes with the territory. Anyway, hopefully it doesn't suck as much as I think and you guys are still interested in reading the rest. Review…or don't it's all good pimpin'.**_

_**-Squeedle**_


	3. Chapter 3

Well, this came out faster than I thought it would. I thought I'd be swamped with schoolwork but I pretty much flew right through it all. Go Squeedle!! =D XD

Still unbeta'd.

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**Shawn looked over to see Carlton sleeping soundly on one of the cots and he let a small smile form on his lips. The detective had a blanket tossed haphazardly around his torso and he had his arms wrapped tightly around the extra pillow he'd snatched from another cot. **__Aw__**, Shawn thought. **__Lassie's a cuddler__**. And with that thought in mind, Shawn fell asleep with a smile glued to his face. Never once thinking about what tomorrow would bring.**_

~*~

_June 2nd, 2009 One month and two days ago_

Carlton woke up at 4:03 that morning due to back pain. _Damn cot_ he thought. He stood up to stretch a bit, cracking a series of bones in the process and then left to go use the bathroom. When he came back he couldn't help but notice Shawn and the way he was sleeping. The normally spastic man looked so peaceful and serene; limbs sprawled all across the tiny cot. Carlton couldn't stop himself from smiling at the sight. Now _this_ was a side of Spencer he could tolerate. Okay fine, enjoy…but he'd never admit that out loud.

Shaking his head he walked out of the bunker and headed for his desk. If he couldn't sleep then he might as well try to find some information on Tony.

The station was nice and quiet. It actually made Carlton wish that he could do his work at night instead of during the day. At night there was no hustle and bustle. Better yet, there was no Spencer. It wasn't that he _hated_ the guy per say. He just disliked the way the psychic did things. Carlton also didn't like the fact that he'd recently started thinking about him in the late hours of the night which usually resulted in cold showers. But some things were better left in the file labeled 'DO NOT OPEN IF YOU VALUE YOUR SANITY!!' never to be touched.

Staring blankly at his computer screen Carlton realized he didn't have the slightest clue as to where to start. He couldn't believe it, over twelve years of this shit and he didn't know what to do.

"You should Google him."

Carlton jumped at the voice but he didn't need to turn around to figure out who it belonged to. He took a deep breath to compose himself.

"Seriously, you can find just about anything on Google." Shawn said as he took a seat on Carlton's desk and continued.

"Just last week I Googled that TV show Bones and ended up finding a link to some 'Adopt a Bone' foundation. Apparently there are other bones besides the funny bone. They were looking for more staff members so naturally I signed Gus and I up."

While Shawn rambled on Carlton took the opportunity to take in his appearance. His brown hair was tousled this way and that, his clothes were rumpled and his eyelids were lowered as if he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. It wasn't exactly a sore sight either and Carlton had to look away lest he be caught staring.

"Those poor unloved bones. You know Lassie, you should adopt the-"

"What are you doing here Spencer?" Carlton snapped.

Shawn leaned forward a bit as if he were about to let a secret slip before he spoke.

"I accidentally witnessed a murder."

Carlton rolled his eyes.

"You know what I meant Spencer. What are you doing _here_ on my desk? I was under the impression that you don't even _think_ about waking up before noon. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

He watched as Shawn leaned back on his hands and lost the ability to think when the psychic propped his feet up on his lap.

"I felt your aura leave the room and I woke up. I sat there for while but I got bored so…here I am." Shawn spread his arms out wide as he finished.

Carlton blinked which seemed to be what he needed to regain his senses and pushed Shawn's feet off his lap as he stood up.

"What is it with you and my lap Spencer?" As soon as he said it Carlton figured it sounded a lot better in his head. He silently cursed himself for it because his mother always said _"When inside thoughts are a-roamin' don't leave the front gate open."_

He watched as Shawn slid off the desk and in less than a second Carlton could feel Shawn's breath on his neck.

"What can I say Lassie, it's like I'm magnetically pulled towards that general region of your anatomy."

Carlton felt a tingle run up his spine and a few moments passed before he was able to speak.

"Go back to sleep Spencer." He was hoping his voice wouldn't betray him but as he watched the smirk form on Shawn's lips he knew it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Shawn winked before he walked away and Carlton, though he tried his hardest, couldn't suppress the shiver that ran through his body.

*

Shawn couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get out, go do something. Anything just as long as it was far, far away from the SBPD. It seemed like forever since the Chief confined him and Carlton to the station – really it was only a day and a half. But for him it was like a twenty-five year prison stint. He might've felt differently had anybody agreed to make a smoothie run for him but no, they were all too _busy._ What, they couldn't take ten minutes out of their damn crime fighting to make a quick stop at the Jamba Juice down the street? Plus, he wasn't even allowed to work any cases. Well, besides the Tony thing.

"This is for your own protection Shawn. Besides, it's only been a day and a half. I've been enjoying every second of it." Gus said as he munched on some Chinese noodles. He stopped by to spend his lunch break with Juliet. Shawn bet himself that they'd be out on a real date by next week.

"Oh Gus don't be a purple spotted African koala bear. You're lost without me." Shawn smiled and Gus chuckled.

"Whatever you have to tell yourself Shawn." And with that Gus said goodbye to Juliet and walked away.

Shawn stood there, flabbergasted. _Dude_ he thought.

"He's right you know. This is for your protection so stop complaining." Juliet commented and then, like Gus, she walked away.

Shawn huffed. Boredom sucked. He glanced over to where Carlton sat, still trying to find any information on Tony. He thought about going over to tease the detective but a better idea sprang into his head. He was going to break out. In a matter of speaking. Only for a little while of course.

He looked around the station to make sure nobody was watching him. When he figured it was safe he made his way outside. He waited outside the front doors for few moments to see if anybody would follow him and when nobody came out he smirked.

_Wow, who knew it would be _that_ easy to break out of a police station_ Shawn thought as he started walking, not noticing the man watching him from the parking lot.

* * *

_**Okie shmokies people, there it is. Le third chapter. I thought it was going to take longer to write what with school and whatnot but I guess I was wrong. I've been wondering if what I've been writing is helping the story progress instead of holding it back. Eh, whatever. Oh and **__'When inside thoughts are a-roamin' don't leave the front gate open.'__** I seriously just came up with that one day and fell in love with it. It's now my…is motto the right word to use here? Well, whatever it's my new thing so go tweet that shit yo.**_

_**-Squeedle**_

_**PS: Have you guys noticed how I say 'blah, blah, blah in the process' a lot? Seriously, I've gotta stop doing that.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Quick AN: To June since your review was anonymous (I try to reply to all of my reviews) don't worry, I don't plan on stopping this story any time soon. Though the wait between some later chapters may be a little longer than some – I still have school because I'm home-schooled and don't get a summer vacation – but no, I plan to milk this story for all it's worth. =)

-Squeedle

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**He looked around the station to make sure nobody was watching him. When he figured it was safe he made his way outside. He waited outside the front doors for few moments to see if anybody would follow him and when nobody came out he smirked.**_

_Wow, who knew it would be _that_ easy to break out of a police station__** Shawn thought as he started walking, not noticing the man watching him from the parking lot.**_

~*~

_June 2nd, 2009 One month and two days ago continued_

The more Carlton stared at his computer screen the more stressed he got. He _still_ couldn't find anything on Tony. The bastard was truly untraceable. Carlton had tried everything he could to find the guy. Hell, he'd even tried the damn Google thing that Shawn suggested. What? He was a desperate man and desperate men do desperate things. Honestly, Carlton didn't know what he was thinking when he tried it. He blames it on Shawn's teasing earlier.

_Speaking of Spencer, where is he?_ Carlton thought. He brushed it off though when an idea popped into his head. He wasn't sure where it came from but he was glad it did. He started typing quickly and in about an hour he found what he was looking for. Jumping from his seat and rushing off to Chief Vick's office Carlton had one thought in mind.

_Gotcha Mr. Anthony Giordano._

*

Shawn sipped happily on his pineapple-mango smoothie as he went on rummaging through his apartment. If he had to stay at that damn police station then he was going to have to grab a few things from home to keep him from losing his mind. Only the essentials of course, like his old school game boy and his favorite blanket – he'd be damned if he was going to use those station blankets after last night. Something told him that itchy blankets made of barbed wire weren't good for his sensitive skin.

He grabbed a few other things as well before he made his away downstairs to where the cab was waiting for him, pausing for a second to say hello to a guy reading a newspaper in the hallway. If he would've been paying attention he would've noticed that said guy had been following him since he left the station.

*

"Slow down Carlton!"

At Chief Vick's outburst Carlton realized he wasn't exactly speaking at normal speeds. He was excited though. He'd finally found out who Tony was.

"Anthony Giordano. He's the guy Spencer and I saw in that alley." Carlton said as he produced a piece of paper with a mugshot of Tony on it to the Chief.

"He's wanted in eight different states for killing cops. It was the reason he left his hometown in New Jersey. He skipped town after the police questioned him about it." Carlton explained. Despite the information he'd just relayed he was feeling pretty good. He'd finally get to go home now.

"Well, go find Mr. Spencer and tell him we've finally caught a break." The Chief said.

Carlton burst through the door and shoved his way through overly nosy rookie officers as headed towards the bunker. _Finally_ he thought. Sure, it had only a day and a half but it was the longest day and a half in his life. He wanted to go home and take a nice, long hot shower and maybe-

"Where the hell is Spencer?" Carlton snapped as he turned to Juliet who had been following him.

She blinked a couple times before she responded. "Well, last time I saw him he was talking to Gus."

"When?"

Again, she blinked before answering.

"Um, about an hour and a half ago. You don't think he left the station do you?"

Carlton just growled and headed for his desk to grab his gun and badge.

*

Sitting in the cab Shawn let his mind drift off and in no time at all he was thinking about Carlton. How he went from thinking about aliens with marshmallows for heads from the planet Flexnar to thinking about dear old Lassie was beyond him. But that was neither here nor there.

When this whole thing started Shawn's teasing towards Carlton was purely innocent. He would tease Carlton strictly because he had nothing else better to do at that particular time. Shawn wasn't sure when it happened but soon that bored fun turned into something else. He found himself teasing the detective because he loved his reactions. Sometimes Carlton would adopt that gruff voice of his that (for lack of a less cheesy phrase) made his knees go weak. And if that voice happened to make him jizz in his pants on occasion he would never admit it. Then there was the manhandling reaction where Carlton would throw him up against a wall in frustration. That was Shawn's favorite. It was also how most of his dreams starring Carlton started out. It would start with Carlton slamming him against a wall and end with kinky interrogation room sex.

"Hey! Come on man, this is your stop right?"

Shawn blinked a few times before he realized exactly where he was. Sadly, it was not interrogation room two.

He stretched as he got out of the cab and pulled out his wallet while he checked the fare clock thingy – to hell if Shawn knew what the thing was called.

He shouldered his backpack and turned around to make his way up the walk to the stairs when he bumped in to someone.

"My bad I wasn't-" The rest of the words caught in his throat when he felt himself being yanked up the stairs and into the station.

"What the hell were you thinking Spencer?" Carlton shouted as he threw Shawn into a chair. Shawn looked around and saw that he was seated in an interrogation room.

"You're absolutely right Lassie, someone should spank me. I vote you."

Shawn watched as Carlton's face flushed red and couldn't hold back a smirk.

"Can it Spencer, we've got a break in the case."

When he heard this Shawn's smirk turned into a frown.

"Dude, you mean to tell me that I got all this crap from home for nothing?"

* * *

_**Okay so I know it's really short but I kind of hit a rough patch in this chapter. I got over half of it done but then I got stuck in a writer's block so I got rid of it all and started from scratch and this is what I came up with. I really am sorry because I know it has to be my worst chapter yet. Will you guys accept a batch of chocolate chunkie pineapple shaped cookies as a compensation? *gives sad puppy dog face and hopes you accept***_

_**I'll try to make the next chapter longer and more exciting and stuff. It might take a while to get out though because my Economics class is kicking my ass but…yeah. It's not that it's hard or whatever it's just there's a lot of reading material that I have to sort through. Again, I'm really sorry you guys.**_

_**-Squeedle**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**IMPORTANT AN**_: Most of this chapter is going to be occupied by Tony and his crew. There will be some Shawn and Lassie but not so much. I've been reading over those first four chapters and it feels like something's missing so hopefully I can fill that void with Tony. Oh, and just in case you don't know how to pronounce Sawyer it sounds like soy-er. Or at least that's how it was pronounced in kindergarten.

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

"_**What the hell were you thinking Spencer?" Carlton shouted as he threw Shawn into a chair. Shawn looked around and saw that he was seated in an interrogation room.**_

"_**You're absolutely right Lassie, someone should spank me. I vote you."**_

_**Shawn watched as Carlton's face flushed red and couldn't hold back a smirk.**_

"_**Can it Spencer, we've got a break in the case."**_

_**When he heard this Shawn's smirk turned into a frown.**_

"_**Dude, you mean to tell me that I got all this crap from home for nothing?"**_

~*~

_June 2nd, 2009 One month and two days ago continued_

The house looked like something out of a magazine with high ceilings and eloquently decorated rooms. Not exactly the type of place one would find criminals lounging around in. In their defense, four out of the five men sitting at the table playing poker weren't hard criminals. At least not until Tony came around.

Jack and Nolan had been best friends since the third grade when Nolan broke Jack's arm in a fight over a girl. The next time they saw each other Jack hit Nolan upside the head with his cast.

"_You broke my arm you jerk."_

"_Yeah, sorry about that."_

After school that day Nolan went with Jack to his house and the rest as they say was history. They got into low rate crime after high school when they weren't accepted into any colleges. Nothing big just petty things like breaking into houses and cars. The worst thing they'd ever done was hold up a gas station. They got caught of course and went to prison for six years. They were supposed to do ten years each but they got out on good behavior.

Sawyer and Evan were brothers, twins actually. They'd been in and out of foster homes since they were six and in and out of juvie since they were thirteen. They weren't exactly hard criminals just down on their luck really. Sawyer and Evan did things such as larceny and selling drugs. Maybe if they would've chosen better friends it would've been different but you know what they say; shoulda, coulda, woulda.

Jack and Nolan met Sawyer and Evan when they came to them about selling drugs themselves. Jack and Nolan were light on money and nobody would hire them so they found the next best solution. Well, next best in their world anyway. Accessory to murder never crossed their minds. Until Tony came along that is.

Four months ago Tony came to them with the promise of good money. He never actually told them what they would be required to do and when the word money pops up into the conversation one tends not to ask questions. So they weren't really prepared when Tony told them to break into a house in a nice suburban neighborhood, tie up the family (a husband, a wife, and their two kids) living in said house and keep them in the basement. They did it of course because by then Tony had found out everything about them and told them that if they ever dipped out on him he'd know where to find them.

Everything took a turn for the worst when Conner made a couple trips to the basement two weeks ago

Unlike the other four, Conner Forbes had done some hard shit in his life. Also unlike the other four, Conner never got caught. He was just too good. He got amzing grades in school and went on to college but in his lifetime Conner had murdered over thirty people. For most of his victims it was just because.

Two weeks ago Conner went down to the basement to check on the family. Well, that's what he told the rest of the guys at least. He put a silencer on his gun and killed them all. He wasn't quick about it either.

First he positioned the father in front of his family and proceeded to shoot the wife once in both kneecaps. He let her suffer for six minutes (which might not seem like a long time but when you're in agonizing pain it feels like an eternity) before he shot her in the head. Conner left the basement for two hours before he came back down to take out the children; a little ten year old boy and a fourteen year old girl. He tortured them before he killed them as well but unlike with the mother he didn't use bullets. No, he raped them both in front of their father and slit their throats. Only then did he finally kill the father. Watching his family be cruelly murdered before him was his torture.

Jack, Nolan, Sawyer and Evan didn't know about it until they went down to bring the family some food later that night and were confronted with a sight they'd never be able to rid themselves of.

When Tony found out what Conner had done he was pissed. Conner reasoned with him though and told him that this way they have to wouldn't run the risk of any of the family members escaping and going to the police. Tony agreed after some persuasion and let it go.

Upon hearing the front door slam shut the five men quickly stood up and waited for Tony to enter the room. Tony came to stand in front of them and addressed Nolan when he spoke.

"What did you find out?"

"Well, I didn't get anything on the cop 'cause he never left the station but that Spencer dude did. He lives down on Porter Street in the Newton Heights apartment complex. Room 22B." Nolan held his breath hoping that the information he was able to get would be enough for Tony. Tony smirked a bit and nodded his head.

"Good. If you get the chance I want you and Jack to go and pick him up tonight. Bring him back here and I'll take care of him. Forbes," Tony turned to Conner and continued. "Your shift starts soon right?" Conner nodded.

"I want you find out something on Lassiter okay?" Conner nodded again and left the room to get ready for work. After about thirty minutes he was out the door.

When Tony left the room Evan grabbed his phone and started dialing as he and Sawyer left the house. He was going to do something he should've done a long time ago.

*

"Oh come on Carly-town, you can't tell me you don't want to go out and celebrate your freedom." Shawn whined as he leaned on Carlton's desk.

Carlton was getting ready to go home when Shawn came up to him and asked if he wanted to go out to Tom Blair's Pub to celebrate the fact that Chief Vick was finally letting them go home.

"Spencer, it was a day and half. Besides, all I want to do right now is go home and-"

Carlton paused when his phone rang. Sighing heavily he answered it.

"Head Detective Carlton Lassiter." He heard static on the other end before he heard someone speak.

"You're looking for Tony right?"

Carlton narrowed his eyes at the name Tony.

"Who are you and what do you know about Tony?" Shawn – along with an unnamed officer standing close by – perked up when he heard Carlton say 'Tony' and leaned over the desk to put the phone on speaker.

"Don't worry about my name. Tony's staying at 1438 Shelton Drive. Tell Shawn Spencer not to go home tonight."

That was all the person said before the line went dead. Shawn stared blankly at the phone while Carlton rushed to Chief Vick's office. Neither man noticed the officer that ran passed them and into the bathroom.

He checked to see if anybody was in there with him before he pulled his phone out.

"Tony, you gotta get out of there quick man. Evan snitched." Conner said vehemently before he slammed his phone shut and walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

**_Okay, I'm really hoping that this makes up for my horrible fourth chapter. I know there's not a whole lot of Shawn and Carlton but…yeah. Oh and just to clear things up, the warehouse in chapter two was just a place that Tony called his men to. I'm not sure why but…yeah. Anyway, I hope you guys like this one.  
_****_-Squeedle_**


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I recently edited all my prior chapters because I miscalculated the timeframe. The months the story takes place in are now June and July. Also, I'm working on a new multi-chap fic. I'm not going to actually post anything until it's complete that way I can post one chapter each week without fail. Or at least mostly done. Anyway, I have a poll on my profile asking if you guys would actually read it so…yeah. I have a good feeling about this WIP so keep a look out for it.  
-Squeedle

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**That was all the person said before the line went dead. Shawn stared blankly at the phone while Carlton rushed to Chief Vick's office. Neither man noticed the officer that ran passed them and into the bathroom.**_

_**He checked to see if anybody was in there with him before he pulled his phone out.**_

"_**Tony, you gotta get out of there quick man. Evan snitched." Conner said vehemently before he slammed his phone shut and walked out of the bathroom.**_

_**~*~**_

_Early hours of June 3rd, 2009 One month and one day ago_

Carlton was pissed. The Chief ordered that he stay behind while she sent a dozen officers out to the address the caller gave him. Un-fucking-believable. Now he was forced to sit around and wait. He had never been a patient man; anyone who knew him would agree that when Carlton had to wait he got a teensy bit testy. And to make matters worse, he was still stuck with Spencer in the damn station.

"They call themselves the Broken Toe Bakers. By day they're regular bakers but by night they're crime fighting heroes solving all crimes of the broken toe nature. So I told Gus 'Come on Gus, Broken Toe Bakers? How awesome does that sound?' and he's all-"

"Spencer!" Carlton snapped, effectively shutting the man up. "I. Don't. Care."

Carlton watched as Shawn blinked a few times before he spoke again.

"So he's all-"

Shawn was cut off again but this time it was by Juliet.

"They're back. Interrogation room five but-"

Before she could finish both Carlton and Shawn jumped up and rushed passed her nearly knocking her to the ground. Carlton was the one who made it the room first and right as he opened the door he heard Juliet shouting after him.

"Carlton wait-"

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the two men sitting at the table. The two men who were not Tony.

"Who the hell are they?" Carlton asked when Juliet came to stand behind him in the doorway. Shawn had already squeezed passed Carlton and was seated at the table staring at the men. More specifically one of the men.

Juliet sighed. "That's what I was trying to tell you. We couldn't find Tony, he wasn't there. These two were the only ones in the house…" She trailed off and Carlton watched as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket.

"O'Hara?" Carlton probed.

Juliet bit her lip tentatively and looked away. "Well, they were the only ones alive at least. You don't want to know what we found in the basement."

Carlton saw the men fidget from the corner of his eye and when he turned to fully look at them he saw disgust and a touch of shame written all over their faces. Before he could ask them about what was found in the basement though Shawn spoke.

"You were following me." He said as he pointed an accusatory finger at one of the men.

Carlton walked all the way into the room and sat down at the table. "What are you talking about Spencer?"

"This guy," Shawn started still pointing at one of the men. He had shaggy black hair and dark brown eyes. "I saw him in my apartment building. I doubt it was a coincidence that he was found him at the same address you guys were supposed find Tony at."

Carlton, Shawn, and Juliet watched as the man twiddled his thumbs before the guy beside him gently nudged him.

"We might as well come clean Nolan."

Nolan nodded. "Tony told me to follow you. He told me to follow you too but you never left the station." He said turning to look at Carlton as he said the last part.

Carlton opened his mouth to ask why but it seemed that Nolan had more to say.

"We were only in it for the money. I'm sure you hear that a lot and I know it doesn't make it excusable but it's true. We were in it for the money. Tony just came up to us one day; Jack, Sawyer and Evan and I. I know we should've-"

"Hold it. Who are Jack, Sawyer, and Evan?" Juliet asked and Carlton and Shawn both looked at her with surprise. They had completely forgotten that she was in the room.

"I'm Jack." The other guy said. He had short blond hair and green eyes. Carlton noted that he spoke with confidence but his voice was laced with shame.

"Sawyer and Evan are some buddies of ours and it was probably one of them who tipped you guys off." Jack said.

"So how do you know Tony?" Shawn questioned.

"Well, it's like Nolan said. Tony came up to the four of us one day and said he'd pay us all five grand each if we helped him with something. None of us were doing too good financial wise at the time so we agreed without asking any questions. A month ago he had us break into that house on Shelton Drive and tie up the family and put them in the basement." That's where Jack stopped and Shawn noticed guilt flash on both their faces.

Shawn leaned back in his seat as he thought. Jack said they tied the family up and put them in the basement and given what Juliet said to Carlton earlier he guessed that the family must be dead. Killed. Not by the two that sat before him though. No, they were genuinely disgusted when Juliet brought it up. The other two could've done it, Sawyer and Evan, but for some strange reason Shawn highly doubted it. He figured he could rule out Tony. Sure, Tony was a killer but besides Benny he'd only ever been suspected for killing cops and given what Tony said before he killed Benny – _"I also know what we do to guys who dip out before a hit"_ – he must not have gotten to his target in the SBPD yet.

"What was found in the basement?" Carlton asked but before Jack or Nolan could answer him Shawn spoke.

"Ah! I'm getting something." he said as he brought a hand up to his head.

"The family that was tied up in the basement, they're dead. Murdered. Not by you two though. No, I'm seeing someone else."

"What does he look like?" Juliet asked, her pen poised in her hand ready to take down whatever Shawn had to say.

"I'm not sure. It's too dark in the basement, I can't see his face. It's not Tony though. It's not the other two either." Shawn, who had closed his eyes during his 'vision', opened them and looked at Jack and Nolan before he spoke again. "Who was it?"

Jack and Nolan looked at each other, uncertain about whether they should say anything. It seemed their conscience won out though when Nolan spoke.

"Forbes. Don't ask for a first name because we don't know it. Tony only called him Forbes."

"We'll look through the database. Do you think you can point him out?" Juliet asked. None of the three were prepared for the answer Jack gave.

"Sure, but you don't have to look through that database thing. Just put everyone working here with the last name 'Forbes' in a line-up."

*

Tony was back at the warehouse again only this time he had only one man with him.

"Well?" Tony probed.

"When I left the station they had Jack and Nolan in custody. I doubt that I can go back to work."

"Damn it!" Tony shouted as he kicked a nearby paint bucket.

This whole thing had gotten out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. He was supposed to get in, gun down Chief Vick and be done with it.

* * *

_**I am so, so, so sorry you guys. I know this was a very late chapter and it still sucks but I needed to get something out and this was the best I could come up with. The good news is that a better story is in the works and I've got a pretty good feeling about it. And even better news…PSYCH COMES BACK THIS WEEK!!!!! Can I get a what what? Good golly gonads, I can't wait! Anyway, I'm so sorry for this chapter. Oh and Claire, I couldn't help but put something about the BTBs in this chapter because the BTBs are kick awesome!!  
-Squeedle**_


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Woohoo, we're back in action folks!! Big, GiAnT, HUMUNGOUS thanks to **SpookyClaire** for helping me get back into the groove of things. Folks, Claire pretty much wrote most of this chapter for me and without her I probably never would've been able to continue with this so thank you Claire, you rock so hard!!

-Squeedle

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**Tony was back at the warehouse again only this time he had only one man with him.**_

"_**Well?" Tony probed.**_

"_**When I left the station they had Jack and Nolan in custody. I doubt that I can go back to work."**_

"_**Damn it!" Tony shouted as he kicked a nearby paint bucket.**_

_**This whole thing had gotten out of hand. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. He was supposed to get in, gun down Chief Vick and be done with it.**_

**~*~**

_June 3__rd__, 2009 One month and one day ago continued_

Carlton didn't want to believe it. He just didn't want to believe that, even after the whole 'Drimmer' fiasco, dirty cops existed. Didn't want to believe that some of the men and women who took the same oath he did to serve and protect the city were, for lack of a better phrase, lying down with the dogs.

He really didn't want to do the line-up but there was no way to avoid it so they rounded up every Forbes they could find in the station. He was relieved when neither man could identify any of them as the guy that murdered that family but that relief deflated when Juliet told him that there was one other officer with the last name Forbes whose shift ended while they were in the interrogation room with Jack and Nolan. Juliet showed them a picture they had on file of that particular Forbes and their answer was instantaneous.

Conner Forbes, a rookie officer that's been with the SBPD for two years. By looking at the picture of him one would think that he couldn't hurt a fly let alone torture and murder a family of four.

And though a picture may be worth a thousand words, life itself is worth five billion. Besides, pictures can be very deceiving. They could be riddled with _lies_. And that's exactly what Forbes was.

A _lie_.

Carlton shook his head, tired, upset, stressed. He didn't want to believe this. He didn't want to believe _any_ of this. About Forbes. About what he was beginning to feel towards Shawn. About his _life_. Why did this have to happen to him? He was a good officer. He did his job and he did it _right_. It was almost as if some higher power was testing him. Testing his willpower to hold himself together. Testing his ability keep everything in check. Testing.

With a sigh he handed the photo back to Juliet. He knew what was coming.

"Lassiter!" He turned and saw Vick striding up to him, a grim look on her face.

"You know what this means, don't you?" She sighed.

He shook his head vigorously, "Chief, please. You can't do this. There has to be something else."

"Lassiter," She said sternly, "This isn't about me wanting to make you miserable. It's about keeping you safe. You're an important asset to this department and so is Shawn. I couldn't imagine losing either of you." Vick admitted seriously, actually looking upset by the idea of losing Shawn or Carlton. That alone shocked him into silence. When he said nothing, merely blinked, Vick sighed again and said, "I'll go tell Spencer…"

*

"Chief!" Shawn whined, sounding like a petulant child. "Who says they're even after us? Come on!"

"Spencer." She growled, "You're a witness. A witness that they want _dead_. This isn't something that's up for discussion. I'm not _asking_ you. I'm _telling_ you. Got it?"

Shawn let his head hang, "Yeah…" He paused for a few moments before he bounced on the balls of his feet. "It's just so _boring_!"

"Shawn," Vick warned.

"Well, how would _you_ feel being locked up in here for God knows how long??"

"Oh no, no, no. You're not staying _here_." She said with her 'How could you be so _stupid_?' laugh.

Shawn blinked, "We—we're not?"

"What, and let you sleuth your way out of here again and get yourself _killed_? No. We've got something much more…secluded in mind for you."

Shawn leaned away from the chief, a perturbed look on his face.

*

When the car finally arrived at it's destination Shawn nearly choked on the pineapple smoothie he'd made Buzz get for him before leaving the station. _You've _got_ to be kidding me_, Shawn thought as he climbed out of the car.

"A cabin? In the middle of nowhere? Really?!" Shawn cried, pulling his duffle and sleeping bag out of the trunk..

"It's the only place you can't run away from Mr. Spencer. Plus, it's a good few miles away from civilization, neither Tony nor Forbes would think to look for you here." Vick said as she shut the driver's door.

"Yeah, but what about the mountain lions?" Shawn whined.

"There aren't any mountain lions over here, Spencer." Carlton rolled his eyes as he pulled his things from the trunk. "And even if there were they wouldn't eat you."

"Aww, Lassie, are you implying that you would protect me from big bad mountain lions?" Shawn asked, batting his eyelashes in an almost animated fashion.

Carlton narrowed his eyes. "No, I'm saying they wouldn't eat you because even a _mountain lion_ has standards Spencer. Even if one did attack I'd push you towards it and run away." Carlton said, ignoring the thought that if they were indeed attacked by a mountain lion he would do everything in his power to protect the pseudo-psychic.

Shawn let a mocking pout grace his face. "You're a very unpleasant person Carly-Town."

"Thank you Spencer." Carlton mumbled as they followed the chief up to the cabin. Pushing the door open she led them inside.

The two looked at the cabin's interior, it was actually pretty cute. It looked like something an old married couple would live in when they were retired and only wanted to spend time with each other. Shawn glanced at Carlton only to find him glancing back and as quickly as it happened they both looked away.

The chief stayed in the doorway as they looked around.

Carlton walked forward a few steps, looking around the small cabin a little more. A door-less doorway led him into a small kitchen, in blue hues, with a small stove, an old fridge and a few cabinets. The living room held one ugly couch and a somewhat comfortable looking easy chair. There was an old TV and an even older radio, as well as a fireplace. He walked towards the only two doors he saw and opened one to find a fairly stationary, bland bathroom. It smelled of mildew but it looked clean enough, he was thankful for that. Then he turned and jumped when he was Shawn standing directly behind him.

"Sweet Justice, Spencer!"

"Scared ya?" Shawn asked with a grin.

"_Startled_." Carlton corrected.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure." Shawn then turned and pushed open the only other door. They both stood in the doorway and looked in to find a small room, in pinkish hues, wherein lay a small dresser and one bed. _One_ bed.

"Ooh Lassie look, one bed and there's room for two." Shawn stated in a rather seductive tone, stepping up close to the head detective.

"Not a snowball's chance in hell Spencer." Carlton said, stepping back while trying to ignore the tingling feeling in the pit of his stomach that Shawn created. The prospect of them sleeping in the same bed was rather tempting in Carlton's opinion though he'd never admit it out loud. "You're sleeping on the couch."

"Aww, man!" Shawn cried, plopping down on the couch in a childish fashion and crossed his arms. "You suck!"

"Now Mr. Spencer, Lassiter," the chief started reminding the two that she was still there. "O'Hara and Mr. Guster will be here in about a half an hour with some supplies. Make them last because after today neither of you are to have any contact with anyone but yourselves."

_Great_, Carlton thought. Now he had to spend God knows how long with only Shawn for company and no gun.

* * *

**Again, thank you Claire so much. I really don't think this would've continued without you. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!  
**_**-Squeedle**_


	8. Chapter 8

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

"_**Now Mr. Spencer, Lassiter," the chief started reminding the two that she was still there. "O'Hara and Mr. Guster will be here in about a half an hour with some supplies. Make them last because after today neither of you are to have any contact with anyone but yourselves."**_

**Great**_**, Carlton thought. Now he had to spend God knows how long with only Shawn for company and no gun.**_

**~*~**

_June 10__th__, 2009 Twenty-four days ago_

Could one really die of boredom? Shawn didn't really fancy finding out but it seemed as if he had no choice. He couldn't take being locked up in this God forsaken place any longer. They'd only been in the cabin for a week and Shawn was already desperately missing the outside world.

The last time he'd had any contact with anyone besides Carlton was when Juliet and Gus had come by to drop off their supplies and whatnot.

The supplies consisted of a fairly large amount of food, various things to drink (including the scotch that Juliet had snuck for Carlton), and some extra clothes. Along with those supplies though Gus had managed to sneak a few things from Shawn's house to keep him occupied. These items consisted of Shawn's Nintendo DS along with six games, some good eighties CD's and a CD playing radio, a deck of cards, and coloring books with a seventy-two pack of crayons. Hey, you're never too old to color.

However, Shawn had played his Nintendo so much that within the first day it lost it's power (Gus forgot the charger so he was out of luck), the music Gus had brought him gave Carlton extreme headaches so he'd been prohibited to play the CD's anymore, Carlton refused to play poker with him after the sixth time he'd lost against him (such a sore loser), and he'd colored everything there was to color within the five coloring books. Shawn really needed to learn how to pace himself. After all, he had no way of knowing how long they were going to be stuck in the cabin.

"Lassie," he whined. "I'm bored."

Carlton, who had been lounging on the couch reading a non-fiction crime novel, turned to Shawn and sighed exasperatedly.

"Then find something to do Spencer." He said then turned his attention back to his book but was stopped when Shawn stomped his foot immaturely.

"It's easy for you Lassie but there's absolutely nothing for a guy like me to do around here."

Carlton sighed because he knew Shawn was right. Despite how he initially felt in the beginning, he found it pretty easy to occupy himself. It felt amazing for him to just lounge back and relax. No job to worry about, no criminals to pursue. All in all Carlton actually wished he didn't have to go back home when everything was all said and done. But when it came to Shawn Carlton knew it was difficult for him.

Knowing the pseudo-psychic Carlton knew that Shawn became bored rather easily and with nothing but whatever was in the cabin to occupy himself with he could see that Shawn was quickly becoming restless. For a moment he felt a little guilty for the fact that he could keep himself entertained and Shawn couldn't.

Sighing, Carlton sat up, folded the corner of the page he was previously reading, and turned to Shawn.

"Why don't you just watch some TV?" he suggested but Shawn just rolled his eyes.

"It only gets like three channels. I need variety." Shawn whined as he fell down onto the couch overdramatically.

*

_June 17__th__, 2009 Seventeen days ago_

Ever since Shawn and Carlton had been confined to the cabin a week ago Juliet O'Hara had tried almost everything in her power to find Tony and Forbes. She'd worked overtime every day yet she couldn't find anything that might lead to finding the two. Her first approach was to go to the address listed on Conner Forbes' file but that was a dead end. She'd tried to contact just about everyone Forbes knew but again it all led to nothing. All she wanted to do was catch the two dirt bags and lock them up so Shawn and Carlton could come back.

"Are you okay Detective O'Hara?"

Juliet looked up from her desk to find Buzz McNabb standing next to her with a cup of coffee in his hands and thanked him as he handed it to her.

"I just don't get it Buzz. How can these two be so…hidden? Especially Forbes, I mean he's been with the department for two years you'd figure that he would've made at least one friend who could help us locate him but…" Juliet trailed off with a sigh before taking a sip of the steaming coffee.

"Well, maybe…maybe you're overlooking things?" Buzz suggested hesitantly. This made Juliet give him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?"

"Things along with people are found in the most obvious of places."

*

_June 24__th__, 2009 Ten days ago_

Carlton sat on the couch with a scotch in his hand as he'd been doing for the past three weeks just staring blankly at the empty fireplace. The first week wasn't so bad for him. He was able to relax and just let the tension of the present roll off his shoulders. However, he'd read all the books that were stocked in the cabin, he'd watched enough of the three channels on TV to last him two lifetimes, and he could swear that Shawn was deliberately trying to make him commit murder. He just-

"Alright Lassie, the shower's all yours."

Just as Carlton looked up he saw what he believed to be the most tempting sight he'd ever laid eyes on.

There before him stood Shawn just out of the shower. Apparently he wasn't the type of person to bring clean clothes into the bathroom and dress in there because he had a towel hanging loosely from his hips. His hair was wet and Carlton watched, openmouthed, as a drop of water dripped from his hair and slowly made its way down Shawn's chest, his abdomen, and finally absorbed into the towel. It was all too tantalizing.

_It has to be illegal to look _that_ good_ Carlton thought.

He tried to pull his eyes away, he truly did, but it was nearly impossible. It took everything Carlton had to not jump the pseudo-psychic right there. Instead he looked to the floor and made his way into the bathroom without a word. If he would've kept his eyes on Shawn however he would've noticed the triumphant smirk that overtook his lips.

* * *

**Hey, I didn't have an Author's Note in the beginning WoOt! Okay so I told myself that I wanted this to be eleven chapters and that's what it's going to be. So that's why this chapter is all spread out over three weeks. Hope it wasn't too bad.  
**_**-Squeedle**_


	9. Chapter 9

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

**It has to be illegal to look **_**that**_** good**_** Carlton thought.**_

_**He tried to pull his eyes away, he truly did, but it was nearly impossible. It took everything Carlton had to not jump the pseudo-psychic right there. Instead he looked to the floor and made his way into the bathroom without a word. If he would've kept his eyes on Shawn however he would've noticed the triumphant smirk that overtook his lips.**_

**~*~**

_July 1__st__, 2009 Three days ago_

Tony didn't really think about what he was getting into before he got into it. Then again it's not like Tony could've foreseen Benny backing out of the job. The whole reason he chose Benny in the first place was because when he first got to Santa Barbara he'd asked around for someone who would get a job done, not care about what the job was, and wouldn't ask questions. That's where Benny came in. And because he couldn't have known that he was going to end up killing Benny for backing out he couldn't have known that there would be a detective and a psychic to witness it.

Tony was only looking to get into Santa Barbara for some down time but then he'd seen Chief Vick on the news one day. Ever since the Chief of the Long Island Police Department killed his little brother Tony had gone off the deep end. In his eyes anybody who looked like Chief Palmer needed to die before they could get to anyone else's kid brother.

Tony's brother, Nick Giordano, wasn't a bad kid. Far from it actually. He was a sixteen-year old straight 'A' student and never had any mind for trouble-making. Even though he was only sixteen though he looked a hell of a lot like Tony. Damn near identical. To make a long story short, Chief Palmer mistook him for Tony.

She resigned a week later, couldn't take being the Chief with the guilt of killing an innocent teenager, and a week after that Tony killed her. An eye for an eye right?

It took them four weeks and five grand in bribe money to one of the janitors at the SBPD to find out where Detective Lassiter and Shawn Spencer were being hidden. A cabin about ten miles out of the city. The janitor had told that it was under police surveillance but Tony knew that he and Forbes would be able to get passed it, no sweat. In three days he and Forbes would go out to the cabin, get Lassiter and Spencer out of the way, and then they would come back and take care of Vick.

_July 3__rd__, 2009 One day ago_

Tony and Forbes moved around the warehouse they'd been staying in for the passed four weeks getting rid of the evidence of their stay there and packing up everything they'd need for tomorrow night. The only thing Tony really needed for tomorrow was his gun while Forbes had packed a fairly large backpack with…well he wasn't quite sure. Forbes had said that it was their diversion and a little extra. Tony knew better then to question it though. He knew damn well how psycho Forbes was and he couldn't wait to be rid of him.

"Alright, let's run through this one last time. We'll head out around five PM tomorrow. It'll take us at least a good three hours to get to the cabin so we should get there anywhere between eight and nine tomorrow night." Tony paused and waited for Forbes to nod his head before continuing.

"When we get there, you'll set off whatever diversion you got planned then-"

The front doors in the warehouse slammed open interrupting Tony followed by about a dozen police officers.

"Police, don't move!" a blond haired women yelled out.

Tony grabbed his gun while Forbes grabbed the backpack and they ran.

*

Juliet stood outside the interrogation room studying Tony through the two-way.

After her talk last week with Buzz Juliet checked all the most obvious places that Tony and Forbes could've been hiding out at. She even checked back at the house on Shelton Drive to see if they were idiotic enough to go back there.

About four hours ago she remembered that Forbes' uncle owned a warehouse that Forbes had easy access to. When she first found out Juliet thought that they wouldn't be stupid enough to hide out in such an obvious place. She changed her mind after her talk with Buzz though and she, along with ten uniforms, went there with guns blazing.

Juliet took a deep breath to compose herself before she set a hard look on her face and stormed into the room.

"Where's Forbes?" Juliet probed, slamming a hand down on the table. Now wasn't the time for playing the good cop.

When they had stormed into the warehouse Tony and Forbes ran. Some of the officers there got into their cruisers while Juliet and a few others pursued on foot. It didn't take long for her to catch Tony but Forbes had gotten away.

Tony smirked and leaned back in the chair.

"What, were you too incompetent to catch him?"

"Don't play games with me just tell me where Forbes is and I _might_ be able to lessen your charges." Juliet said as she narrowed her eyes. Tony just laughed.

"You don't have anything to charge me with."

It was Juliet's turn to smirk then as she held up an evidence bag.

"We found traces of Benjamin Farley's blood on this switchblade here…along with your fingerprints. Not to mention we have witness that say you stabbed him. You sure I don't have anything to charge you with?"

Tony's eyes widened as he stared at the bag and Juliet laughed.

"You had the mind to grab you gun but not the knife. What, were you too _incompetent_ to remember it?" she said as she sat back in her chair and folded her arms.

"I want a lawyer."

*

Carlton couldn't take being stuck in the cabin with Shawn any longer. Between Shawn annoying the hell out of him and tempting him (whether that temptation was to kill the 'psychic' or fuck him senseless) Carlton just wanted to go home and get as far away him as possible.

Ever since he'd gotten to the cabin almost every night his dreams were about Shawn. So far in his dreams they'd christened the bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen area, the couch, the TV, and for some reason the log that sat in front of the cabin. Being there with Shawn had strengthened what he'd been feeling about him lately and he couldn't deal with it. Every night he sat on the couch and tried to drink his feelings for Shawn away. But seeing as how Shawn had decided to _always_ come out of the shower with just a towel hanging around his hips Carlton had found that task nearly impossible.

Like now for example.

There stood Shawn in the doorway of the bathroom wet and dripping and unclothed except for the towel. Was it just Carlton's imagination or was the towel riding lower on Shawn's hips today then it normally did?

"Shower's all yours." Shawn said.

Had Carlton not been too busy staring at the drop of water that slid from Shawn's collarbone to his navel he would've noticed the smirk on Shawn's face. Had he been paying any attention to anything at all he would've noticed how his body had started moving towards Shawn. He didn't notice anything until Shawn spoke again.

"Is there something you want Lassie?"

That's when he noticed how close he was to Shawn, noticed how he'd somehow made it from the couch to pressing Shawn into the wall without being aware of it, noticed just how good Shawn smelled.

Carlton watched with a dazed out stare as Shawn gripped his hip to pull him closer, leaned forward, and then whispered against his lips.

"I'm sensing you really want to kiss me right now."

Their proximity, feeling Shawn's breath on his lips, his hand on his hip, it was just too much for Carlton. It was time to throw caution to the wind and just give in.

Lips collided and tongues twirled against each other as if they were dancing. As it got more heated Carlton hiked Shawn up in his arms so that he had to wrap his legs around his waist and as Carlton carried Shawn to the bedroom he couldn't think of anything except getting their clothes off and finally having what his dreams had been taunting him with.

* * *

**Hm, I'm not sure about this chapter. I'm hoping that you guys enjoy it but it's cool if you don't. We're getting closer to the end my friends. Honestly, I just want to be done with it so I can post my new story *squeals* I can't wait!!**

_**-Squeedle**_


	10. Chapter 10

AN: If you'll notice the time for the first part…Shawn slept really late in the day because he and Lassie were up really late the night before if you catch what I'm tossing ya ;D

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**Their proximity, feeling Shawn's breath on his lips, his hand on his hip, it was just too much for Carlton. It was time to throw caution to the wind and just give in.**_

_**Lips collided and tongues twirled against each other as if they were dancing. As it got more heated Carlton hiked Shawn up in his arms so that he had to wrap his legs around his waist and as Carlton carried Shawn to the bedroom he couldn't think of anything except getting their clothes off and finally having what his dreams had been taunting him with.**_

**~*~**

_2:36pm July 4__th__, 2009 About seven hours ago_

When Shawn woke up he figured that it was finally time to kick Carlton out of the bedroom because the couch was entirely too lumpy for his preferences. Then he realized that he wasn't on the couch, he was on the bed (which was surprisingly a lot worse than the couch). Stretching as he sat up he thought that Carlton had fallen asleep on the couch thus leaving him the bed but then the events of the night before flooded his mind.

He remembered the way Carlton kissed him, remembered the way he felt against him, _in_ him. He remembered the way he moaned Carlton's name as he came. Mostly though, Shawn remembered the sparks that ran up his spine when Carlton had breathed his name against his neck.

He glanced down beside him then all around the room but Carlton wasn't there. He wasn't exactly sure why but Shawn knew that it wasn't a good sign. He threw on some boxers, pants, and a shirt that he saw laying on the floor before he made his way out of the bedroom.

He found Carlton sitting on the couch staring at the blank TV and slowly approached him.

"Hey Lassie." He said tentatively but Carlton didn't even look at him.

"Shut up Spencer." Shawn winced at the tone but it didn't deter him.

"Look Lassie we should probably talk about-"

"There's nothing to talk about Spencer. It was a mistake." Carlton said quickly and had it been anyone else Shawn wouldn't have cared. But this wasn't some nameless face from some nameless bar that he'd had sex with last night, it was Carlton and Shawn really didn't want to be his mistake.

He walked over to stand in front of Carlton before he spoke.

"You know, you were just as enthusiastic as I was last night Lassie and-" Again, he was interrupted.

"It was a moment of weakness. It meant nothing." With that Carlton finally looked him in the eye.

_It meant nothing._ Those three words pierced Shawn as though they were a finely sharpened blade. He was half tempted to look down at his chest to look for blood. Carlton had said it with such conviction that Shawn damn near believed it. He knew it wasn't true though. Carlton proved that to him last night with one little word.

"Okay," Shawn started as he slid on his shoes. "I can see that you're still going through you little heterosexual freak out so I'm gonna take a walk and leave you to it."

He started to leave but paused at the door, his hand hanging loosely on the door handle. Without looking back at Carlton he spoke.

"If it had really meant nothing Carlton you wouldn't have called me 'Shawn' last night."

And with that he left.

_5:24pm July 4__th__, 2009 About four hours ago_

Conner hid behind a tree keeping a safe distance from the police officer that was guarding the entrance to the dirt road that lead to the cabin. Even though Tony had been caught Conner knew he didn't have much of a choice but to kill Detective Lassiter and the psychic anyway. They knew who he was. They knew how he'd killed that family. Hell, the whole department knew. There was no way he could just leave it. He had to kill them.

Well, he figured he would've killed them anyway. Conner knew he had a problem but he didn't care. He knew he was a sick son of bitch but it was almost exhilarating to him. It was a huge adrenaline rush, not just the killing but the fact that he's never been caught for it.

When he was ten his father left and his mom turned to booze to help mend her broken heart. Shortly after that his mother began seeing him as the thing that drove her beloved husband away. Some days she couldn't even look at him. Conner was thankful for those days because in his mind one couldn't hit what one wasn't looking at. He was sure that had he seen a therapist or some shit he would've grown up differently but the fact of the matter is he didn't and by the age of fourteen he was going around lighting his neighbors' animals on fire.

Conner knew this plan would work and sure as rain when he lit the firecracker and threw it deep into the woods the officer on guard took out his gun and left his position to investigate. Making sure the cop was well out of sight Conner started his trek up the dirt road.

_7:47pm July 4__th__, 2009 One hour and twenty-eight minutes ago_

Looking back on it Carlton knew he could've been a little nicer to Shawn earlier. He knew Shawn was right, what he'd said before he'd left.

_If it had really meant nothing Carlton you wouldn't have called me 'Shawn' last night._

There was no way that what took place the night before had meant nothing to him. It meant absolutely everything to him. And given the look in Shawn's eyes earlier it had meant something to him too. It wasn't just some one time deal to him as Carlton had originally thought.

When Carlton woke up with Shawn next to him sprawled out across the bed he thought that Shawn would see what they did as nothing more than a one night stand. It hurt to think like that but he was sure that it was inevitable. So he did the only thing he could do; he put his defenses up and told Shawn that it meant nothing, that it was a mistake.

Though Shawn didn't know it Carlton saw the hurt look in his eyes before he left and not even five seconds after that Carlton made a vow to himself to never be the one to put that look there ever again.

He stood up and sighed hoping that when Shawn came back he would accept his apology but that hope quickly turned to fear when he turned around and saw Conner Forbes standing before him.

_8:02pm July 4__th__, 2009 One hour and eleven minutes ago_

Juliet and Gus sat in the interrogation room along with Tony and his lawyer.

Gus had arrived at the station not too long ago after Juliet had called him and told him that she'd caught Tony the day before but that he wasn't cooperating. She said that maybe he could get Tony to start talking. At first Gus was all for it, he wanted Shawn back after all (he was becoming all too bored without his best friends antics) but sitting in the same room as Tony was beginning to make Gus angry.

This man (if you could call him that) had made it so he couldn't see his best friend. Gus hadn't seen Shawn for a month now and he missed him.

"Where's Forbes Tony?" Juliet asked but Tony just smirked.

"I've been advised by my lawyer here not to speak. Sorry sweetheart."

Gus watched as he leaned back in his chair looking six different shades of smug. Just breathing the same air that Tony was breathing made Gus see red.

"Do you have a brother Mr. Giordano?" Gus asked quietly with narrowed eyes, vaguely curious as to why Tony's face grew hard upon hearing him.

"Had one, why?"

"While Shawn and I aren't actually biologically related, he's like – no – he _is_ my brother. We've been best friends for longer than I can remember." Gus paused to lean into Tony's personal space, his eyes hard and narrowed, before he took on a calm yet venomous whispering tone.

"If you don't tell me where Conner Forbes is and my brother dies because of that, consequences be damned, I'll kill you myself and I won't be quick about it either."

Gus leaned back into his seat and then continued.

"And if you think that just because I work with the police means that I won't make good on that treat then you'd better think again."

Gus smirked slightly as he watched Tony grow pale.

"Me and Forbes were supposed to head out to that cabin you guys got your boys hidden in around five today. Knowing that psycho they're probably already dead."

Juliet and Gus both shared a panicked look before quickly jumping up and leaving the room nearly knocking a few people over in their mad dash to get to Juliet's car and as they pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the road they prayed that they wouldn't be too late.

_9:13pm July 4__th__, 2009 Presently_

Shawn slowly opened the door to the cabin expecting…well, he wasn't quite sure _what_ he was expecting really. Was he expecting to find Carlton sitting on the couch with a scotch in his hand staring into the empty fireplace as he has for the past month? Was he expecting Carlton to greet him with a fist to the jaw? After what happened last night and the way Carlton acted this morning Shawn thought he had the latter coming to him. Walking into the cabin a part of him even expected to find the place completely empty but out of all the things that Shawn was expecting to find, a bound and gagged Carlton Lassiter strapped to dozens of large fireworks and explosives certainly wasn't one of them.

"Carlton!" Shawn shouted. It wasn't until a split second later when he felt an immense pain in his shoulder that he saw another man in the room.

"Come any closer and the next bullet will tear into your kneecap." He warned.

Gripping his shoulder in pain Shawn looked up and at first he didn't know who the guy was. It took him a couple moments to recognize him as one of Tony's partners. Shawn remembered seeing his picture on Juliet's desk a couple hours after they had talked to Jack and Nolan. His name was Conner Forbes and he was the one who had murdered that family on Shelton Drive.

A muffled screaming sound tore him from his thoughts and he glanced over at Carlton. He was sitting on the couch and strapped to his ankle were the explosives and fireworks just itching to be ignited.

"Lassie, you know I don't speak Gagnese but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you want some tacos . I don't blame you, I'm feeling very Mexican right now so after this we'll go get something from Taco Bell."

Annoyed, Forbes aimed the gun and fired.

* * *

**Okay, screw Fearless Guster, Protective Guster is the badass!! So this has got to be my longest chapter yet. That's kind of cool. I think I liked the way this chapter turned out. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it as well.**

_**-Squeedle**_


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Alright folks, here's the last chapter of In the Midst of This Danger. Kind of sad to see it all ending but I'm so excited for my next story. I should have the first chapter for it posted in about a week or so. Anyway, without further adieu let the end begin =)

-Squeedle

* * *

Last time on 'In the Midst of This Danger':

_**A muffled screaming sound tore him from his thoughts and he glanced over at Carlton. He was sitting on the couch and strapped to his ankle were the explosives and fireworks just itching to be ignited.**_

"_**Lassie, you know I don't speak Gagnese but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you want some tacos. I don't blame you, I'm feeling very Mexican right now so after this we'll go get something from Taco Bell."**_

_**Annoyed, Forbes aimed the gun and fired**_.

**~*~**

_July 4__th__, 2009 Presently continued_

Shawn didn't feel it at first and when he did feel it he thought it was just himself subconsciously creating an imaginary pain in his leg to take his mind off the pain in his shoulder. It was when he looked back at Forbes and saw his gun smoking that he realized that he'd been shot. Again.

He went down like a ton of bricks screaming in agony. It felt as if someone had surgically inserted a bomb in his leg just one inch above the kneecap. The pain was immense and it took every bit of strength Shawn had not to cry. Though his eyes welled up with tears he was determined not to let the tears slip from his eyes.

"Now that I have your attention let's have some fun." Forbes said with a sadistic smile.

Despite Shawn's pain though he still had it in him to say something completely stupid.

"Ooh are we gonna play Candy Land? How about Guess Who? I have to warn you though, if it's a round of Monopoly you want then I'm out. I always end up in jail with that damn ape and his wandering hands."

As he watched the butt of Forbes' gun come crashing down upon Carlton's head Shawn regretted opening his mouth. He heard Carlton's grunt of pain and watched as his head dropped forward to rest on his chest.

"Next time you open that damn mouth of yours I won't hesitate to put a bullet through his skull." Forbes said as he pointed the gun at Carlton's head. Had Carlton still been conscious Shawn would've put on a bluffing, try-it-I-dare-you look on his face but instead his eyes widened and he closed his mouth with an audible pop to show that he wouldn't dare toe the line anymore.

Forbes waited a few moments before he smirked. "Good. You know, you should be thanking me. You're gonna go out with a bang. You only see these kinds of deaths in action movies but you get to live it. Or not live it depending on how you want to look at it."

As Forbes threw his back and laughed Shawn's eyes darted around the room and he tried to come up with a plan. He knew that if all else failed he had to at least get Carlton out of there, even if he was a bit of an ass earlier. But how? It's not as if he could somehow take Forbes off guard and then carry Carlton out. He had a hole in his shoulder and a bullet lodged in his leg. So he did the only thing he could think of.

"Let Carlton go. I know you're not stupid enough to think you're gonna get out of this alive and I'm pretty sure I won't either. That's the thing, you're gonna be dead anyway. Why not just let Carlton go, that way only two people have to die tonight." Shawn said sounding almost defeated.

Forbes gave him a confused look so Shawn tried to elaborate.

"You were planning on killing us all with that little bomb you have there. You were planning on dying tonight but you wanted one last kill. Why not just let Carlton go? You'll still have your one last kill," Shawn paused as he gestured to himself then continued. "and you'll still get to go out all action-villiany and whatnot. There's no sense in killing Carlton, let him go. Please."

Shawn watched with bated breath as Forbes smirk faltered. He looked as if he was actually thinking about Shawn's proposal. Neither man noticed how Carlton's breath began to quicken.

"You know what, sure. Why not? Hell, I should do at least one good thing before I die." Forbes said as he started untying the explosives and fireworks from Carlton's ankle, still not noticing how not-so-unconscious Carlton was.

Shawn let out a sigh of relief. He didn't actually think that it would work but he thought it was worth a try anyway and apparently he was right. As Forbes hoisted Carlton into his arms he turned back to Shawn.

"You move and I'll kill him." Forbes waited. Shawn guessed he wanted an answer so he gave one.

"Dude, my entire body flares up in pain if I so much as flinch. What do you think I'm gonna do, jump up and run a marathon?"

Forbes smirked and walked to the front door but before he could open it Shawn spoke.

"Don't just drop him out front either. Lay him far enough away so that when you light this thing he won't get hurt." He gazed at Carlton as he said it. He wanted one last look at him before…

"Why do you care so much about what happens to him psychic?" Forbes asked, genuinely curious.

Shawn stayed silent for a few moments before he answered him.

"Because I love him."

Neither he nor Forbes noticed Carlton's sharp gasp.

*

Carlton stifled a grunt as he was dropped on the ground. He could hardly move and everything hurt. Even through the pain though Carlton quickly thought up a plan. He would let Forbes walk a few steps before getting up and tackling him. Sure, he was weak and Forbes had a gun but it was the best thing Carlton could come up with. He thought that Forbes had begun walking away and he was about to get up but then he felt himself being propped up against a tree.

Forbes quickly tied Carlton to the tree about ten yards away from the cabin and still feigning unconsciousness Carlton let his head drop to his chest. Even after a few moments Forbes still didn't leave. Instead he smacked Carlton one good time and Carlton hissed. Realizing that he could no longer act like he was knocked out Carlton looked up at Forbes with narrowed eyes.

"You're not gonna get away with this you bastard." Carlton spat but Forbes just smiled and began walking away.

Yanking fruitlessly on the ropes that bound him to the tree Carlton couldn't help but stare after him confusedly. When Forbes brought him outside Carlton was still feigning unconsciousness so why didn't he just leave him? Forbes didn't know he was faking so it wasn't as if he thought that Carlton would jump up and play hero so why tie him to the tree? Carlton didn't understand it until Forbes looked back at him with a sick smile one last time before disappearing into the cabin. The reason Forbes tied him to the tree, the reason he 'woke him up'…

He wanted Carlton to watch.

Carlton tugged and tugged but the ropes wouldn't give. Just when he thought all hope was lost though he saw a car speeding towards him and thanked god when Juliet and Gus got out and rushed over to him.

*

"I thought I told you not to move." Forbes snapped when he saw that Shawn was now sitting up against the wall farthest away from the couch where the makeshift bomb sat.

After Forbes had left the cabin Shawn crawled over to sit against the wall. It was painful and a few times Shawn thought that would die from the pain alone but he'd made it to the wall and he was thankful for that. When he'd looked back to the spot he was just at he saw that a trail of blood had followed him. It was a lot of blood. More blood than he'd ever bled in his life.

"Well excuse me for wanting to be as far away from that thing as possible when it goes off. Hopefully my body won't be _too_ unrecognizable."

Forbes laughed humorously but Shawn didn't know what was so funny. They were both about to die. Quite painfully. Shawn watched as Forbes took out a lighter and lit the tip of the fuse. All the fuses to the explosives and fireworks were all twisted up and molded together so that everything would go off at the same time.

"We've got about thirty seconds until this cabin explodes. You'd better start making your peace psychic." Again, Forbes laughed. What was so funny about dying a highly painful death?

As Shawn watched the fuse dwindle he thought about the night before. He was thankful for it. Now he had something good to think about before his death. With that as his last thought Shawn was able to slip into a feeling of content.

Twenty seconds down, ten to go.

*

Juliet and Gus worked furiously on the ropes trying to untie Carlton from the tree but they just wouldn't give.

"Gus go into the glove compartment, I have a knife in there." Juliet said and Gus rushed over to car and came back with the knife in almost no time at all.

Juliet started slicing at the ropes while Carlton protested.

"Forget about me, go get-"

"Shut up Carlton and let me work!" Juliet shouted.

"You don't understand O'Hara, there's a-" Just as he was about to say the word 'bomb' he felt the ropes slide off of him. He pulled himself up, using the tree as leverage, but he wasn't quick enough.

The explosion was loud and debris and smoke flew everywhere. The three stared at the burning cabin for a moment as if they didn't register what had just happened.

"Shawn!" Carlton shouted before running towards the cabin. He didn't hear Gus and Juliet screaming after him. All he could hear was what Shawn had said before Forbes brought him outside.

"_Because I love him."_

*

When the makeshift bomb went off Shawn curled himself into a little ball at the last second. It wasn't a conscious move per se. It was just a reflex really. It's not as if Shawn wanted to die but he didn't mind as long as Carlton was safe.

He felt the flames, he felt the pain, he felt the cabin roof collapsing in on him but he didn't _feel_ it.

He felt Carlton filling him, felt his breath on his neck as he whispered his name.

"_Shawn."_

And he smiled as he let a blissful nothingness wash over him. He never felt Carlton arms around him, pulling out of the wreckage.

*

Carlton sat in the waiting room along with Juliet, Gus, and Henry. He was vaguely aware of the tears leaking from his eyes but he didn't care about them. All he cared about was Shawn.

Since they'd gotten to the hospital about three hours ago Shawn had flat-lined once because of losing so much blood. It scared the hell out of everyone but Carlton especially. Shawn couldn't die now. Not after everything that had happened. Not after Carlton was so harsh to him. Carlton couldn't stand thinking that Shawn might die without knowing how he felt.

Carlton wanted to hold him tight and tell him loved him and all sorts of other mushy, un-Carlton-like things. He was scared that he might not have that chance. The chance to hold him. The chance to tell him he loved him.

The night was going to be crucial for Shawn. Carlton couldn't even think about it without shaking.

He didn't want 'It meant nothing' to be the last thing he'd ever said to Shawn. It would be the death of him.

*

"He's stable."

When Carlton heard the doctor say those words he fell back into his seat. He's stable, that didn't exactly mean that Shawn was going to be perfectly fine but it was a start.

As everyone filed into Shawn's room Carlton stood off in the corner. It's not like he didn't want to go over and sit near Shawn, hold his hand, and whisper to him that he was there, that everything was going to be alright. But he felt that if he went near him Shawn would die. Unflappable, yes but he didn't want to risk it.

So he waited and waited until he was sure that Shawn wasn't going to just flat-line as soon as he stepped towards him. By that time everyone had gone home. Juliet went home because despite everything that had happened she still had to wake up in the morning for work and both Gus and Henry went home mumbling something being able to wake up early enough to come back to the hospital first thing in the morning.

He knew that none of them would get any sleep.

Carlton slowly approached Shawn and lowered himself into the chair next to the bed.

He stared at him for a while. The burns on his body were surprisingly not that bad. They were just on his arms so the doctors figured that he must have tried to protect himself and they weren't life-threatening. Carlton heard from the doctor that Shawn had a total of three broken bones. His leg, his left forearm, and his right wrist. His leg had broken when Forbes shot him the second time and the rest was done when the cabin roof collapsed in on him.

All of the sudden Carlton got choked up. A large lump formed in his throat and tears started streaming down his cheeks. Carlton looked away from Shawn and hung his head as he sobbed. He was so harsh to Shawn earlier and now this?

He didn't feel the first squeeze. His body was shaking and he wasn't really aware of anything. But he felt the second. A light, gentle squeezing to his hand and when Carlton looked up he saw tired, hazel eyes staring back at him.

"I'm so sorry Shawn." He took a deep breath to continue but Shawn interrupted him.

"As you should be Lassie-doodle. You were an original Meany McMeanerton today and after I get out of here I expect you to make it up to me. At your place. In your bed. Then in your shower. After that, on the couch. And especially on the kitchen counter."

Carlton chuckled wetly then leaned forward to kiss Shawn. It wasn't anything like the desperate, needy kiss back in the cabin but it was just as satisfying in Carlton's opinion.

"By the way Shawn, I love you too."

* * *

**And there you have it folks. Just in case you're wondering…they live happily ever after. Well, relatively at least because no relationship is all rainbows and butterflies. Sometimes it's gonna rain. Shawn and Lassie's relationship will inevitably have its bumps but all in all they live happily ever after. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope I ended it well enough. And thank you to everyone who has read my story, favorited it, put it on your alert list, all that stuff. I really appreciate it!!**

_**-Squeedle**_


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